Computer systems, such as servers and desktop personal computers, are expected to operate without constant monitoring. These computer systems typically perform various tasks without the user's knowledge. When performing these tasks, the computer system often encounters events that require a particular action (such as logging the event, generating an alert for a particular system or application, or performing an action in response to the event). Various mechanisms are available to handle these events.
A computing enterprise typically includes one or more networks, services, and systems that exchange data and other information with one another. The enterprise may include one or more security mechanisms to safeguard data and authenticate users and may utilize one or more different data transmission protocols. At any particular time, one or more networks, services or systems may be down (e.g., powered down or disconnected from one or more networks). Networks, services or systems can be down for scheduled maintenance, upgrades, overload or failure. Application programs attempting to obtain event data must contend with the various networks, services, and systems in the enterprise when they are down. Additionally, application programs must contend with the security and network topology limitations of the enterprise as well as the various protocols used in the enterprise.
Existing operating system components, services, and applications generate events having a variety of different formats. Typically, the events are stored in different files or databases (e.g., a file or database on the local system). These stored events are accessed via different application programs using different application programming interfaces (APIs). Thus, to retrieve event data in this type of system, an application program must know where to locate the stored event data and how to read or “decode” the particular event data. Each time a new type of event (e.g., having a new storage location, a new format, and/or a new API) is introduced, each application program that desires the new event data must be adapted to locate and retrieve the new event data.
The systems and methods described herein address these limitations by providing a centralized mechanism for collecting and storing event data. The system and method also provide a uniform event-handling process and infrastructure.